I spend a lot of time in cities, places and locations where I do not know a damn soul. On one hand I meet a lot of neat people, and even manage to keep in touch with quite a few of them.

But the folks I knew for years, in my youth? Not so much.

Most folks didn’t know who I was, but then neither did I know them. Time changes people. I’ve put on quite a bit of weight since those years despite my efforts to lose it. I’m nowhere near as energetic. Long hours, long days, high stress coupled with lots of windshield time tend to take their toll on a hyperactive soul.

Earl Cunningham Stadium and I have always had a troubled relationship. Our Marching Band typically took home more awards than the football team. Not to say they didn’t play hard, or with heart. Our boys always did their best.

I had came down on Monday for practice. Friday I left Nashville early and found my old Olds Ambassador horn. It’s an extremely durable horn, and built like a tank. But the sound is awesome. My particular horn was made in 1954, and is one of pseduo jazz models. As such it has a very distinctive sound, especially on a marching field. Can’t miss it.

We marched out on the field like old times. The alumni in T shirts. The current Band in uniform. The oldest among the alumni graduated in 1979.

This was to be the last time, in all likely hood my feet would touch the grass of Cunningham Stadium, and that my old horn would sound out in to the concrete stands built in roughly 1970.

The school serviced the entire county area. Such was the nature of the county school system. You either went to Cass or Adairsville to the north. Some folks, lucky enough to reside within the Cartersville city limits, attended the city school system and our old arch rival, whom we have never beaten in a football game, Cartersville High School.

Our marching Band in my day was much larger. I was astounded by how few Cass fielded. Depressing actually. But those who were there showed no lack of incentive or enthusiasm. They danced, they sang, they did all in their power to get involve the crowd.

For our part, we alumni did our best to hang right in there with. I’d like to say perhaps we showed them a few new things. Either way it was a good night. So for posterity purposes, here are the video’s of the night. As usual I’m easy to spot. But the music was the star of the night. Old school met new school. The rain fell. The temprature dropped.